Clinell efficacy against coronavirus (COVID-19)

6th April 2020

Products

Clinell Universal and Clinell Sporicidal are proven effective against coronaviruses in a 60 second contact time.

[Update 06/04/20: Clinell Antimicrobial Hand Wipes have now been proven effective against virulent, human coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a 60 second contact time. They have been tested according to EN14476 by an accredited, third-party laboratory.]

[Update 14/02/20: the World Health Organisation have given the outbreak a permanent name. The disease is now known as COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease 2019). The virus that causes the disease has been names SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committe on the Taxonomy of Viruses. The WHO has also declared the situation a "public health emergency of international concern."]

Original publication date 23/01/20.

COVID-19 was previously known as ‘novel coronavirus (nCoV)’ and ‘2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)’. It’s a disease caused by an emerging strain of virus from the same family as those that cause ‘Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)’ and were responsible for the SARS outbreak in 2003.

The novel coronavirus was first identified on the 7th of January 2020 and the situation is still rapidly evolving. Healthcare providers, national and international organisations are still deliberating. We will be responding to the situation as it develops. This post addresses the efficacy of Clinell Universal Wipes (‘green wipes’), Clinell Sporicidal Wipes (‘red wipes’), and Clinell Antimicrobial Hand Wipes ('blue wipes') against coronaviruses.

Choosing the right wipe.

Clinell Universal Wipes are effective against coronavirus in just 60 seconds of contact time.

Clinell Sporicidal Wipes are fully virucidal. They're also effective against coronaviruses in a 60 second contact time. Unless otherwise indicated, it’s not necessary to move up to Clinell Sporicidal Wipes to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Clinell Universal Wipes excel against coronavirus.

Clinell Antimicrobial Hand Wipes are also effective against coronavirus in just 60 seconds of contact time.

All three are validated against EN14476. They were tested at Microbac Laboratory, a Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory in the USA. All threewere tested against MERS-CoV, a closely-related, virulent strain of human coronavirus – not a surrogate.

60 second efficacy.

As all three products are effective in 60 seconds, it’s important to understand contact time. Contact time is the length of time the surface being disinfected must remain wet for the disinfectant to work.

Clinell Universal Wipes, Clinell Sporicidal Wipes and Clinell Antimicrobial Hand Wipes are formulated to keep surfaces wet for the whole contact time. It’s important for users to remember to discard wipe they’re using as it becomes dry or soiled.

No pre-cleaning required.

Clinell Universal Wipes, Clinell Sporicidal Wipes and Clinell Antimicrobial Hand Wipes are single-step detergent/disinfectant wipes. That means they clean and disinfect in a single action.

For our suface products, that means – unlike chlorine – that surfaces don't need to be pre-cleaned before disinfecting.

Disclaimer: given the rapidly developing situation, it is not yet possible for disinfectant manufacturers to test against the exact COVID-19 strain, SARS-CoV-2. However, independent third-party tests have confirmed the efficacy of Clinell Universal, Clinell Sporicidal Wipes and Clinell Antimicrobial Hand Wipes against MERS-CoV (a related strain of virulent human coronavirus) using international standard test methods. You can read the full report here. We will be testing our products against the COVID-19 strain once health authorities make the strain available.